


tear you apart

by solange_annick



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Gen, i just really want to write a complex female villian with an arc and deep backstory, plus sacha dhawan is a cutie and i simply could not resist, that goes along with the master, there will be relationships but im not putting them in the tags because im a coward
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:01:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22169065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solange_annick/pseuds/solange_annick
Summary: Patience is only a virtue for the sane.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	tear you apart

Shada has never been easy to get to. The prison existed only within a pocket universe, just outside Gallifrey. While thoroughly defended with weapons that are advanced by at least three centuries, the asteroid is small and unthreatening. 

The Time Lords are never involved in the affairs of the universe, but there have been those who threaten the safety Gallifrey enough to be put away. Out of sight, out of mind. A suiting solution from such a pompous and prideful race. 

While smart, the Time Lords are the type to overthink and overcomplicate. They assume that the smart would stay away or use extravagant methods infiltrate, while the stupid would be quickly caught. It's rarely expected for a smart person to use simple methods- even if it works. The most impenetrable prison in the galaxy and it could be breached with a perception filter, a bit of mind control, and confidence. Which is exactly what the Master had at his disposal. 

The call penetrated straight into his mind and, possibly, his soul. He had already deducted that it couldn’t be the Doctor. He, or she, was far too busy running around with some fragile humans that would eventually die or leave. 

_Tap tap tap tap_

There it went again. The drums. The hearts. The very essence of the Time Lords that had haunted the Master for years. The mental scar of the Untempered Schism. 

He focused his mind on the rhythm and linked himself to his TARDIS’ telepathic circuits. 

Most TARDIS’ come to a complete halt just outside Shada’s pocket universe. Not quite a halt. A better visual would entail bouncing off the surface and ricocheting into another galaxy. However, the telepathic signal acted as a homing beacon and pulled the Master through the tiniest, most unnoticeable crack in the hull of the universe. 

The drums were louder now. The Master took a breath in order to compose himself. He slammed his head against the console.

There. Finally. Only ringing- no drums.

Through blurry vision he focused on the display. Any minute now he’d receive a small warning before being blasted into another dimension. Not exactly something on his to-do list. 

“ _Koschei_.”

He straightened up, stunned for a moment. “Who are you?”

 _“You can relax for the moment. I’ve established a slight telepathic perception filter around your TARDIS_.” 

It was a woman’s voice. Sultry, almost. 

“Who are you and how do you know me?” he demanded into the still air. The Master’s reflection in the console display no longer mirrored him. Instead, a young feminine face smiled (almost mother-ly) at _him._

_“I know you only through legends, Koschei, but I believe we are of use to each other.”_

“Why?” 

“ _We have mutual enemy. Someone who masqueraded as our friend, only to betray us.”_

“The Doctor?”

“ _Yes_ ,” she angled her head slightly, looking up at him. “ _And I can certainly help you with more than your fellow Time Lord- if you help me._ ”

The Master pretended to think for a moment. “Who are you?”

His TARDIS melted into a homogeny of colors that painted themselves into a completely separate scene. His surroundings were now that of bare walls, a small bed, and a young woman who sat cross-legged on the ground before him. She stared up at him through muddy brown hair. “Please, sit,” she said. “And do not worry, you are still in your TARDIS. This is simply a psychic projection.”

The Master did so, mostly through a lack of options. The splash of his dark purple suit felt unfitting against his companions simple trousers and tunic. He liked it. 

“I’m getting tired of asking,” he said. “Tell me who you are and why I would want to help you escape from Shada.”

She tilted her head again. “I’m Kaire. Mother of Druids.”

“That’s impossible.”

“And yet, here I am.”

“Why?”

“A disagreement.”

The Master looked around once again. “Pure white-star alloy,” he mused. “Densest material in the universe. Nothing gets through it. You had to be particularly naughty to receive this special treatment.”

“I was.”

He could hear the smirk in her voice. “What can you do for me?”

Kaire leaned into his personal space. Usually, The Master would feel threatened, violated, by someone doing so. The Doctor included. But this was different. She was slow and nonthreatening. Inwardly, he knew that she was simply projecting a form a comfort over him but he remained unbothered. She gently placed her hand on the back of his head and pulled him toward her. Their foreheads met.

_Silence._

_Complete silence._

The Master let out a gasp. “What di-”

“Empathic healing,” Kaire mummered. “I’m one of the few who can do so. It will only last a moment. I can’t sustain it through these walls or without direct contact.” 

His closed his eyes, taking in the moment and trying to make it last as long as he could. He hadn’t felt this peace since he was a boy. Not even the Doctor could make it stop. And Kaire… she made it seem so effortless.

He didn’t pull away. Not yet. “What do you propose?”

She put her cheek to his, maintaining the bond. He could feel her breath on his ear. 

_“Fun.”_

The projection broke and the Master sat on the floor of his TARDIS. A wide, manic grin spread across his face. “ _Fun_ ,” he muttered to himself and stood. 

“I can do that!” A slew of unharnessed laughter harmonized with a dizzying array of levers pulled and buttons pressed. “ _I can certainly do that_!!” 


End file.
